Shen Yi, who was ordered to bring up the rear, heard the loud noise and looked back. He was so scared that his lungs were about to burst out. He immediately wanted to chase after them.
However, General Shen had been on the border for many years. After all, he was no longer the high-spirited scholar from the Lingshu Temple. In his shock, the horse under him shook its head. Shen Yi had already regained his senses. He tightly held onto the horse's reins. He immediately pursed his lips and whistled, "Black Cavalry, don't panic. Black Eagle, investigate the enemy's movements. Pass on my order …"
But before he could finish, a Black Eagle scout suddenly landed in front of him, "Reporting! Marshal! "
"Wait, Marshal can't leave." Shen Yi stopped him, "What's going on? Just tell me first. "
The Black Eagle scout quickly said, "General Shen, after the Western Shi Liu Kingdom retreated to their country, they regrouped and gathered a total of 18 chariots preserved by various countries. They are marching towards our camp. I'm afraid they are going to counterattack …"
Shen Yi asked in a low voice, "How many people?"
"If we don't count the chariots, from the sky, there are at least twenty to thirty thousand armored and cavalry …"
"General Shen!"
One of Gu Yun's personal guards ran over. Shen Yi suddenly turned his head and almost stretched his neck. His scalp was numb. He didn't dare to imagine how they would guard the 27 checkpoints at the entrance of the Ancient Silk Road if something happened to Gu Yun.
Were they going to retreat again?
The personal guard panted, "Marshal orders you to immediately behead the King of Guzi Kingdom and hang his head on the flagpole in front of the two armies. Cut off all means of retreat. The Black Iron Battalion will not leave a single soldier to defend the city. Immediately send out troops to meet the enemy!"
When Shen Yicai heard the first half of the sentence, his heart that was about to get stuck in his throat fell back into his stomach. He almost didn't hear the second half of the sentence clearly. For the first time, he asked the nervous bodyguard to repeat it again. Only then did he raise his voice and shout, "Rebel … cough, the rebel army is an arrow at the end of its flight. The grasshoppers after autumn will jump for the last time. Listen to my order, prepare for war!"
At the moment of the explosion, Gu Yun was protected by a heavy armored soldier.
The black armored soldier was beheaded on the spot. Gu Yun fainted for a moment and spat out a mouthful of blood from the shock. She couldn't hear anything in one ear.
After waking up, Gu Yun couldn't care about anything else. Her first reaction was that the enemy wanted to take this opportunity to counterattack. The countries in the Western Region rebelled twice. The deep hatred with Daliang couldn't be resolved in one or two generations. Now that they were intimidated by the Black Iron Battalion, they finally knew how to be afraid. This would probably be their last attack.
He Ronghui dragged Gu Yun out from under the heavy armored soldier. Half of Gu Yun's body was covered in blood. Some of it was his own, and some of it was other people's. In a split second, the potential in his body exploded. Countless thoughts rose and fell in his mind. He grabbed He Ronghui's arm and passed the order to behead the prisoners and fight. Then, as if he had exhausted the last bit of his strength, he said intermittently, "Shen … Jiping will temporarily take over my position in the military affairs. Don't make it public …"
He Ronghui almost cried.
Gu Yun's ears were buzzing. For a moment, he couldn't hear anything clearly. Naturally, he couldn't detect other people's sorrowful voices. He just muttered, "Seal the news … If anyone dares to leak a word about what happened today, they will be punished according to military law … Go to the wounded soldiers' hospital and ask Miss Chen to come … Ugh …"
When Gu Yun said this, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The old injury obviously hadn't healed in time. At this moment, there was a new injury. His vision turned black, but his mouth didn't stop, "Wait, wait! Let the messenger make sure that Yan Wang's carriage leaves before calling Miss Chen. Don't tell her what happened here first. Invite her secretly. You must … "
He couldn't go on. His hand that was holding He Ronghui dropped weakly. He Ronghui was scared half to death. He trembled as he reached out to feel his breath. Although the breath was weak, it was still there. He Ronghui gasped for breath and bent down to pick up the unconscious Gu Yun.
Shen Yi looked at He Ronghui, whose eyes were red, from afar. He whistled and roared, "Kill the King of Qiuci. Brothers, follow me to wipe out the rebels!"
The Western Region Allied Forces knew that they couldn't defeat the Black Iron Battalion. While retreating in a panic, they came up with a vicious plan. They arranged for the Western Region Men of Sacrifice, who were proficient in disguise, to assassinate Gu Yun. At this time, when they heard the explosion, they thought that they had succeeded. Their spirits were lifted and they planned to take down the Silky Road in one fell swoop. However, before they reached the Silky Road, they encountered the Black Iron Battalion.
The explosion seemed to have completely enraged this group of Iron Warriors. The Commander-in-Chief of the Qiuci Kingdom thought that after forcing the Black Iron Battalion to retreat, he would be able to welcome the King back. Unexpectedly, when he looked up, he saw the King's head hanging high on the flagpole, swinging along with the banner like a shabby tassel that had been tied into a knot. The Commander-in-Chief of the Qiuci Kingdom screamed and fell off his horse.
The leading Xuan Tie general had an iron mask on his face. It was impossible to tell who was who under the black mass of Xuan Tie's heavy and heavy armor. As if he was afraid that the enemy couldn't see clearly what was hanging on the flag, the general waved his hand in the whistling wind. A light cavalry soldier twisted the wind-cutting blade into a flower and cut a rope tied to the flagpole. The King's head fell to the ground and rolled out. The Commander-in-Chief of the Qiuci Kingdom scrambled over and hugged the King's head. He stared at the bald head for a moment before he finally couldn't help but let out a cry and howl in front of the two armies.
This cry seemed to be the bugle call of the Black Iron Battalion. In the next moment, the entire group of heavy armor moved. The Commander-in-Chief, who was draped in a light fur coat, sat upright on the back of his horse. He raised the wind-cutting blade in his hand and suddenly slashed it down. The previously silent 20,000 Black Crows moved together with their horses, suppressing their battle cries under the rumbling sound of their footsteps.
The Western Region soldiers were shocked. Other than Gu Yun, which other general in the Black Iron Battalion would dare to kill the King of the Qiuci Kingdom directly?
Could it be that Gu Yun actually didn't die?
Looking at this situation, not only did they fail to kill Gu Yun, but they also angered the Black Iron Battalion.
That night, the sea of sand was covered in blood. The Anthracite army fought against the Western Region's war chariots and retreated twenty li outside of the Ancient Silk Road. The Western Region's allied army failed to counterattack and was defeated once again. The Black Iron Battalion viciously pursued the enemy all the way to the borders of the various countries in the Western Region. They beheaded nearly ten thousand enemies and slaughtered all of the Qiuci nobles.
Chen Qingxu had just sent off Yan Wang's convoy, which had returned to the capital with the news of victory. Before she could recover from her joy and excitement, two Black Eagle soldiers flew directly to the Northwest Hospital for Wounded Soldiers. "Miss Chen, the Commander-in-Chief requests your presence."
When Gu Yun woke up again, someone was trying to force open his mouth to feed him medicine.
His surroundings were in a mess and he couldn't hear anything clearly. Gu Yun lightly gasped for air. He felt a sharp pain in his heart and lungs, as if they were burning. He was in so much pain that he wanted to cry. He was still not completely awake. In a daze, he thought, "Am I going to die soon?"
As soon as this thought appeared, Gu Yun fiercely gritted his teeth.
"No," he thought, "Calais Yinghou is still alive. Jiangnan is still falling. I can't die in peace."
This fierceness was like a dose of chicken blood that directly entered his heart. Gu Yun quivered and suddenly woke up.
Shen Yi, who was feeding him medicine, couldn't pry open his teeth. She was so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat. At this moment, she suddenly felt Gu Yun's teeth loosen and he could swallow on his own. She was immediately overjoyed and repeatedly called out, "Zi Xi! Zi Xi, open your eyes and look at me. "
Chen Qingxu hurriedly said, "He's awake. He'll be fine if he can take the medicine. General Shen, don't tremble. You're choking him. Give it to me!"
Gu Yun wasn't killed by the Western Regions' men of sacrifice. Who knew that he would be fed a bowl of medicinal soup by Shen Yi? He didn't know where he got the strength from, but he struggled to push the scourge away. As soon as he moved, the entire commander's tent boiled over. A large group of burly men wailed and wailed. They all wanted to go up and help.
Chen Qingxu couldn't bear it anymore. "Enough! All of you, get out! "
Gu Yun keenly smelled a unique fragrance on a woman's body. He knew that Chen Qingxu had come. He slightly tilted his head to avoid the bowl of medicine that was delivered to his mouth. He struggled to open his eyes.
Chen Qingxu knew what he was worried about. He hurriedly wrote word by word on his palm, "Yan Wang has already returned to the capital. He doesn't know."
The corners of Gu Yun's pale lips curved slightly, as if he was smiling. He forced himself to drink the medicine. His consciousness was scattered again.
Gu Yun's internal organs had been injured by the shock, and his old injuries had relapsed, causing him to have a high fever for the entire night. The words' died with remaining grievances' supported him like a boulder. The next day, he was able to get up in amazement. He drank the medicine like it was water, and immediately called all the generals under him to listen to the battle report.
After the meeting, Chen Qingxu brought a bowl of medicine in front of him. Gu Yun took it and drank it in one gulp. He didn't know if it was because he injured his head or because the loud noise hurt his ears. His ears, which were originally maintained by the medicine, were buzzing.
Putting down the empty bowl, Gu Yun's first sentence was to ask, "When did Yan Wang leave?"
Chen Qingxu spoke sparingly, "Early in the morning of the third day of the new year."
Gu Yun breathed a sigh of relief. The front line of the Western Regions was under his control. As long as Changgeng had left, not a single word about this matter would spread to the capital.
At this point, he was relieved of both public and private matters. He automatically regarded this matter as a false alarm. He smiled at Chen Qingxu and said, "Recently, I've been a little forgetful. I didn't check for a moment and made a fool of myself."
Chen Qingxu didn't laugh. Instead, he pulled a chair and sat down. He looked as if he wanted to have a long talk, "Marquis, I have a few words to tell you."
Gu Yun was stunned.
Some doctors were flustered and exasperated. If the patient showed any signs of disobedience, they would jump up and down violently. There were also some doctors who were free to do whatever they wanted. If you came to me, I'll take care of it. If you don't want to, then forget it. I won't force you.
Chen Qingxu undoubtedly belonged to the latter. Whether it was when Gu Yun went to the front line with a steel plate or when he repeatedly increased the dosage of medicine, she didn't say anything. She was rarely this serious.
Gu Yun said, "Miss Chen, please."
Chen Qingxu said, "No part of a person's body is alone. The eyes and ears are also connected to the internal organs. Marquis has been poisoned when he was young. In this battle, he injured his muscles and bones, causing his lungs to be shaken and his internal organs to be restless. Since the chaos in the Western Regions has been suppressed, in my opinion, it's best for Marshal to take the opportunity of escorting the prisoners of war to return to the capital to rest. Otherwise …"
Gu Yun said, "There will be a day when no panacea can cure me, right?"
Chen Qingxu's expression didn't change. She nodded and said, "Marquis must be aware of his own body."
Gu Yun made an "oh" sound and didn't say anything for a long time.
When a person was in their twenties or thirties, it was very difficult to feel the "old" and "illness" brought about by the passage of time. Occasionally, their body would feel unwell, but generally, they wouldn't think about it in a serious way. They didn't feel it personally. Other people's exhortations like "take care of yourself" and "take care of yourself" were mostly unheard of. There were too many things that were ranked in front of this stinky body. Fame and fortune, loyalty and righteousness, country and duty … even romance, love and hate, love and hatred.
Gu Yun was no exception.
Until this moment.
He had always felt that his final destination was to be buried at the border and die in the mountains and rivers. He thought of himself as a bunch of fireworks. After he was done, he would be considered to have restored the Gu family's reputation as a loyal martyr.
But at the last moment, Changgeng appeared out of thin air and pushed his established trajectory away from its original direction. He couldn't help but have delusional thoughts. He wanted to ask for more. For example, after the country was exhausted, there was still a little time left for Changgeng to live.
If he died early, Changgeng would have to bear the vicious curse of Bei Man alone. What would he do in the future? If one day, Wu 'er Gu acted up and he really … Who would take care of him? Who would care about him?
Chen Qingxu wasn't good with words. She was originally worried that she wouldn't be able to persuade Gu Yun with her clumsy tongue. Who knew that before she could finish her speech, Gu Yun suddenly said, "I understand. Thank you very much. In the future, I will have to trouble Miss Chen to take care of me. In the current situation, recuperation may not be possible. But as long as I don't enter the palace to meet the Emperor and there is no urgent military situation at the border, I will try my best not to use the medicine.
Is that okay? "Chen Qingxu was stunned. She suddenly realized that Gu Yun seemed to be different.
The third generation of the Black Iron Battalion was passed down to Gu Yun. It was like an iron plate. His words were absolute. Under Gu Yun's blockade of information, the capital only received news of the great victory in the Western Border.
Duke Feng Han wept as he listened in the imperial court. The entire country was in an uproar. Even Gu Yun's later submission of a memorial to ask for forgiveness, saying that he killed the King of Qiuci without permission, seemed like a minor detail. In any case, Gu Yun's methods in front of the living donkey battle wasn't something new. Even Li Feng felt that it was something he would do.
Only Changgeng frowned when he saw the letter of apology sent to the Grand Council. Although he couldn't explain why, he felt that there was something hidden inside.
Unfortunately, before he could think about it, the Black Eagle envoy who delivered the letter took out another letter, "Prince, this is a letter from Marquis to your family."
The last time Gu Yun wrote a letter to him was when that person had just left for the Ancient Silk Road two years ago. The other letter was written by Shen Yi on his behalf.
Changgeng's self-restraint was top-notch. He calmly received the letter and expressed his thanks. His sincere and well-mannered words came out of his mouth. The Black Eagle envoy, who hadn't seen much of the world, had tears in his eyes. He wished that he could kowtow and swear that he would serve his country. He was sent away in a daze.
As soon as the envoy left, Changgeng immediately waved away the young eunuchs on both sides. He couldn't wait to open the letter. His hands were nimble, and he was extremely careful when he opened it. The envelope wasn't torn at all. If he took it out, it could still be used as a complete letter.
As soon as he opened it, a small piece of pressed apricot flower fell out.
Gu Yun seemed to have been possessed by Shen Yi. He wrote a lot of words, no matter how big or small. He was originally a sarcastic person, and when he described the Western Region Coalition Army, he wasn't stingy with his wicked ideas. The enemy's frightened state was as if it was right in front of him. If there were still people in the Grand Council, they would probably be horrified. Who would have seen the calm and collected Prince Yan laugh so heartily behind a mountain of documents?
At the end, Gu Yun wrote: "There were a few apricot trees at the pass. Because of the flames of war, most of the tree trunks were burnt to ashes. Insects and ants didn't grow. I thought they had died long ago. One day when I returned from patrolling the camp, I saw the withered trees come back to life. Amidst the ashes, buds grew and bloomed overnight. It was pitiful and lovely. There were countless people in the army who spoiled the scenery. Talking about cherishing flowers and loving flowers was like playing the lute to a cow.
Marquis of Stability wrote a sentence at the end of his running-script that could be handed down from generation to generation. Changgeng could vaguely make out that it was "I hope that in the early spring of next year, I can cut off a few spring plum blossoms in the Marquis' mansion." Later, he probably felt that it was inauspicious to talk about the future, so he erased it again and wrote a signature in a carefree and unrestrained manner. It was unknown whether it was intentional or coincidental, but he vaguely left an imprint of a flower branch across the word "Gu". Just by looking at the imprint of the flower imprint, one could feel a faint fragrance assaulting one's senses. It was indescribably elegant.
Changgeng was inwardly flirted with his face.
Regardless of whether these young masters of aristocratic families usually looked coarse, crude, or careless, they all knew how to sing the wind and play the moon. Everyone had a few tricks up their sleeves.
Changgeng couldn't help but recall the time when Gu Yun drank too much of the yellow soup. She was stuck between being romantic and being vulgar. He didn't feel jealous because of those unwarranted romantic affairs. Instead, he felt that this kind of Gu Yun was strangely adorable.
Changgeng held a bowl of herbal tea and slowly read Gu Yun's letter from beginning to end three to four times. He hated that he couldn't imprint every word in his mind. He could even write an exact copy of the letter with his eyes closed. Only then did he put the letter and dried flowers into his embroidered pouch and kept them close to his body.
Then, he wrote the two words "aristocratic family" on a piece of paper and closed his eyes slightly.
The three words "Prince Yan" represented the imperial family. In this time of national crisis, the aristocratic family and the imperial family had the same interests. As long as he didn't overstep the line, no one would blindly jump out to make things difficult for him. Many affluent aristocratic families even expressed great support for the fire beacon tickets. This time, they more or less contributed some silver …
Then what's the next step?
Once they started at the border, it would be a huge amount of military expenses. There was still an endless stream of refugees crossing the river. The people in Daliang were in a state of panic. There was no production. The emergency fire beacon tickets would soon be used up. The imperial court couldn't rely on borrowing money to survive.
It was urgent to reform the land system, the tax system, the civil and commercial systems, and so on. Casually changing any of these systems would cause serious damage.
At that time, all the aristocratic families in the imperial court would be his enemies.
Changgeng's warm and smiling expression turned cold. He lightly hooked his brush and crossed out the two words "aristocratic family".
Under the lantern, the young prince was extremely handsome and also extremely cold.
Whether it was Duke Feng, Ge Pangxiao, Miss Chen … or even Gu Yun, they all seemed to think that the person who provoked Daliang would gently put down Daliang and leave when the building was completed.
But how was that possible?
The two words "power" had always been a path of no return in times of crisis.
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